Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams
Encyclopedia
Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams is a 2002 American family film
, featuring spies
and science fantasy
elements. It was written and directed by Robert Rodriguez
, and is the second film in the Spy Kids film series, which began with 2001's Spy Kids
. Its plot is loosely based on Dr. Moreau and The Island of Lost Souls
, hence the title.
and Juni Cortez
have become agents of the OSS and face particularly hard competition with Gary and Gerti Giggles (Matt O'Leary
and Emily Osment
), the children of double-dealing agent Donnagon Giggles (Mike Judge
), whom Carmen and Juni helped to rescue in the previous film. It is shown that Carmen defends Gary and has a crush on him.
After an incident at a local amusement park
, where the President's daughter (Taylor Momsen
) deliberately sabotages a thrill ride which juggles its passengers, forcing the Giggles and the Cortez kids to compete in the rescue, Donnagon - who has somehow hacked into the teleprompter
which the President
was reading from - is named the director of the OSS; while Juni is fired after being framed by Gary - who was actually to blame - into losing the "Transmooker", a highly coveted device which can shut off all electronic devices. In his new position as director, Donnagon can carry on with his plan to steal the Transmooker, so he can rule the world.
After Carmen manages to hack into the database and reinstates Juni's level as an agent, she and Juni follow the trail to a mysterious island near Madagascar
, which is home to Romero (Steve Buscemi
), a lunatic scientist. Romero has been attempting to create genetically-miniaturized
animals, so he can make a profit by selling the animals to kids. He had an experiment go wrong after accidentally pouring growth concoction onto the mutated set of animals. When Carmen is captured by a spork, she meets Gerti there who tells her that Gary is really evil and Carmen changes her feelings for Gary and sides with Juni who was going to be hurt by Gary. After a number of action sequences, such as fighting skeletons and being captured by sporks, literally flying pigs, the spy kids - along with the help of their family, Romero and Gerti Giggles - destroy the Transmooker and defeat Donnagon and Gary. Donnagon is then fired by the President and Gary is disavowed, while Juni quits due to the impersonal treatment of agents by the OSS. During the credits, Machete has Carmen sing as an undercover pop star in a concert. Carmen says she can't sing so Machete gives her a mic which auto-tunes her voice and a belt that helps her dance. He also gives Juni a guitar that plays itself. After the performance, Machete informs Carmen that he hadn't put the batteries in and Carmen was actually singing.
, and reemploying Hybride, who had worked with him on the first film. The film employs a certain technique to make the movements of the computer generated creatures resemble the stop-motion work of filmmaker Ray Harryhausen
, who has a cameo in the film. The scene with the army of live skeletons was shot on a real rock formation, with the two young actors on safety wires, and the computer generated skeletons added later to over three dozen shots.
Upon its release, the film received mostly positive reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes reports 75% of critics gave the film positive reviews, earning an average rating of 6.6/10. Michael Wilmington of Metromix Chicago, noting how Rodriguez borrows many elements from television and earlier films, stated that, "Rodriguez recycles and refurbishes all these old movie bits with the opportunistic energy of a man looting his old attic toy chest -- but he also puts some personal feeling into the movie. This is a film about families staying together, children asserting themselves and even, to some degree, Latino power".
and DVD
in the United States on February 18, 2003. The film is also available to download on iTunes
. A Blu-ray re-release is scheduled for August 2, 2011 to coincide with the fourth film.
and composer John Debney
, who had also co-written the score for Spy Kids. The sound is a mix of rock
, pop
and indie rock, and includes songs performed by Alan Cumming
and Alexa Vega
. Unusually, the orchestral score for the film was recorded in the auditorium of a local high school in Austin, Georgetown High School.
and Robert Rodriguez
, and performed by the Texas Philharmonic Orchestra.
Additional music not on the soundtrack album includes "Oye Como Spy", which is an adaptation of Tito Puente
's "Oye Como Va
", performed by Los Lobos
(the song is on the soundtrack album from the first Spy Kids film); and "Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5
" for soprano and eight cellos by Heitor Villa-Lobos
.
Family film
A family film is a film genre that is designed to appeal to a variety of age groups and, thus, families.In December 2005, Steven Spielberg's 1982 film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial came first in a poll of the 100 Greatest Family Films. The genre today generates billions of dollars per annum.Family...
, featuring spies
Spies
Spies most commonly refers to people who engage in spying, espionage or clandestine operations.Spies may also refer to:- Media and entertainment :* Spies , a jazz fusion band* "Spies" , a song...
and science fantasy
Science fantasy
Science fantasy is a mixed genre within speculative fiction drawing elements from both science fiction and fantasy. Although in some terms of its portrayal in recent media products it can be defined as instead of being a mixed genre of science fiction and fantasy it is instead a mixing of the...
elements. It was written and directed by Robert Rodriguez
Robert Rodriguez
Robert Anthony Rodríguez is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer, editor and musician. He shoots and produces many of his films in his native Texas and Mexico. He has directed such films as Desperado, From Dusk till Dawn, The Faculty, Spy Kids, Sin City, Planet...
, and is the second film in the Spy Kids film series, which began with 2001's Spy Kids
Spy Kids
The Spy Kids series is a series of family action adventure films written, produced and directed by Robert Rodriguez. The main plot follows the adventures of two Cortez children who become involved in their parents' espionage. The rest of their family are spies as well, including their estranged...
. Its plot is loosely based on Dr. Moreau and The Island of Lost Souls
Island of Lost Souls (1933 film)
Island of Lost Souls is an American science fiction horror film starring Charles Laughton, Richard Arlen, Leila Hyams, Bela Lugosi and Kathleen Burke as The Panther Woman. Produced by Paramount Pictures in 1933 from a script co-written by science fiction legend Philip Wylie, the movie was the...
, hence the title.
Plot
The OSS now has a full child spy section and Carmen CortezCarmen Cortez
Carmen Elizabeth Juanita Costa-Brava Cortez is a fictional character in the Spy Kids films, played by Alexa Vega.Carmen is one of two main protagonists in the films. For most of her life, Carmen had no idea her parents were secretly spies. Carmen's main concern was with her little brother Juni,...
and Juni Cortez
Juni Cortez
Junito Rocket Racer Rebel Cortez is a fictional character in the Spy Kids films portrayed by Daryl Sabara.Juni, like his older sister Carmen, is one of the series' main protagonists. Juni, like Carmen, had no idea his parents were secret agents until the first Spy Kids film...
have become agents of the OSS and face particularly hard competition with Gary and Gerti Giggles (Matt O'Leary
Matt O'Leary
-Life and career:O'Leary was born in Chicago, Illinois. He has two older half-sisters and an older half-brother. O'Leary auditioned for the lead in Home Alone 3. He made his acting debut in the lead role of the 2000 made-for-television film Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire...
and Emily Osment
Emily Osment
Emily Jordan Osment is an American teen actress, singer-songwriter and voice actress born in Los Angeles, California. After working in several television films in her childhood, she gained fame for co-starring as Gerti Giggles in Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over...
), the children of double-dealing agent Donnagon Giggles (Mike Judge
Mike Judge
Michael Craig Judge is an American animator, film director, writer and voice actor, best known as the creator and star of the animated television series Beavis and Butt-head , King of the Hill , and The Goode Family .He also wrote, directed and in some instances produced the films Beavis and...
), whom Carmen and Juni helped to rescue in the previous film. It is shown that Carmen defends Gary and has a crush on him.
After an incident at a local amusement park
Amusement park
thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...
, where the President's daughter (Taylor Momsen
Taylor Momsen
Taylor Michel Momsen is an American actress, musician and model who portrays the character of Jenny Humphrey on the CW television series Gossip Girl and portrayed the role of Cindy Lou Who in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and fronts the rock band The Pretty Reckless.-Early life and career:Taylor...
) deliberately sabotages a thrill ride which juggles its passengers, forcing the Giggles and the Cortez kids to compete in the rescue, Donnagon - who has somehow hacked into the teleprompter
Teleprompter
An autocue is a display device that prompts the person speaking with an electronic visual text of a speech or script. Using a teleprompter is similar to the practice of using cue cards...
which the President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
was reading from - is named the director of the OSS; while Juni is fired after being framed by Gary - who was actually to blame - into losing the "Transmooker", a highly coveted device which can shut off all electronic devices. In his new position as director, Donnagon can carry on with his plan to steal the Transmooker, so he can rule the world.
After Carmen manages to hack into the database and reinstates Juni's level as an agent, she and Juni follow the trail to a mysterious island near Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, which is home to Romero (Steve Buscemi
Steve Buscemi
Steven Vincent "Steve" Buscemi is an American actor, writer and film director. An associate member of the renowned experimental theater company The Wooster Group, Buscemi has starred and supported in successful Hollywood and indie films including New York Stories, Mystery Train, Reservoir Dogs,...
), a lunatic scientist. Romero has been attempting to create genetically-miniaturized
Genetic engineering
Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct human manipulation of an organism's genome using modern DNA technology. It involves the introduction of foreign DNA or synthetic genes into the organism of interest...
animals, so he can make a profit by selling the animals to kids. He had an experiment go wrong after accidentally pouring growth concoction onto the mutated set of animals. When Carmen is captured by a spork, she meets Gerti there who tells her that Gary is really evil and Carmen changes her feelings for Gary and sides with Juni who was going to be hurt by Gary. After a number of action sequences, such as fighting skeletons and being captured by sporks, literally flying pigs, the spy kids - along with the help of their family, Romero and Gerti Giggles - destroy the Transmooker and defeat Donnagon and Gary. Donnagon is then fired by the President and Gary is disavowed, while Juni quits due to the impersonal treatment of agents by the OSS. During the credits, Machete has Carmen sing as an undercover pop star in a concert. Carmen says she can't sing so Machete gives her a mic which auto-tunes her voice and a belt that helps her dance. He also gives Juni a guitar that plays itself. After the performance, Machete informs Carmen that he hadn't put the batteries in and Carmen was actually singing.
Cast
- Antonio BanderasAntonio BanderasJosé Antonio Domínguez Banderas , better known as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish film actor, film director, film producer and singer...
- Gregorio Cortez - Carla GuginoCarla GuginoCarla Gugino is an American actress known for her roles of Sally Jupiter in Watchmen, Dr. Vera Gorski in Sucker Punch, Lucille in Sin City, Amanda Daniels in seasons 3, 5 and 7 of Entourage, Ingrid Cortez in the Spy Kids film trilogy, and as the lead characters of the television series Karen Sisco...
- Ingrid Cortez - Alexa VegaAlexa VegaAlexa Ellesse Vega is an American actress, singer and pianist. She is best known for playing Carmen Cortez in the Spy Kids film series and Shilo Wallace in the movie Repo! the Genetic Opera. In 2009, she starred as the title character Ruby Gallagher in the ABC Family series Ruby & The...
- Carmen Cortez - Daryl SabaraDaryl SabaraDaryl Christopher Sabara is an American film and television actor. He is perhaps best known for playing Juni Cortez in the Spy Kids film series, as well as for a variety of television and film appearances, including Wizards of Waverly Place, Father of the Pride, The Polar Express, Keeping Up with...
- Juni Cortez - Steve BuscemiSteve BuscemiSteven Vincent "Steve" Buscemi is an American actor, writer and film director. An associate member of the renowned experimental theater company The Wooster Group, Buscemi has starred and supported in successful Hollywood and indie films including New York Stories, Mystery Train, Reservoir Dogs,...
- Romero - Mike JudgeMike JudgeMichael Craig Judge is an American animator, film director, writer and voice actor, best known as the creator and star of the animated television series Beavis and Butt-head , King of the Hill , and The Goode Family .He also wrote, directed and in some instances produced the films Beavis and...
- Donnagon - Danny TrejoDanny TrejoDan "Danny" Trejo is an American actor who has appeared in numerous Hollywood films, most notably in roles as an antagonist, or anti-hero.-Early life:...
- Machete - Cheech MarinCheech MarinRichard Anthony "Cheech" Marin is an American comedian, actor and writer who gained recognition as part of the comedy act Cheech & Chong during the 1970s and early 1980s, and as Don Johnson's partner, Insp. Joe Dominguez on Nash Bridges...
- Felix Gumm - Matt O'LearyMatt O'Leary-Life and career:O'Leary was born in Chicago, Illinois. He has two older half-sisters and an older half-brother. O'Leary auditioned for the lead in Home Alone 3. He made his acting debut in the lead role of the 2000 made-for-television film Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire...
- Gary Giggles - Emily OsmentEmily OsmentEmily Jordan Osment is an American teen actress, singer-songwriter and voice actress born in Los Angeles, California. After working in several television films in her childhood, she gained fame for co-starring as Gerti Giggles in Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over...
- Gerti Giggles - Ricardo MontalbanRicardo MontalbánRicardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino, KSG was a Mexican radio, television, theatre and film actor. He had a career spanning six decades and many notable roles...
- Grandfather - Holland TaylorHolland TaylorHolland Virginia Taylor is an American actress of film, stage and television. Her notable television roles include Ruth Dunbar in Bosom Buddies, senator's wife Margaret Powers on Norman Lear's The Powers That Be, Judge Roberta Kittleson in The Practice and Evelyn Harper in Two and a Half...
- Grandmother - Alan CummingAlan CummingAlan Cumming, OBE is a Scottish stage, television and film actor, singer, writer, director, producer and author. His roles have included the Emcee in Cabaret, Boris Grishenko in GoldenEye, Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler in X2: X-Men United, Mr. Elton in Emma, and Fegan Floop in the Spy Kids trilogy...
- Fegan Floop - Tony ShalhoubTony ShalhoubAnthony Marcus "Tony" Shalhoub is an American actor of Lebanese descent. His television work includes the roles of Antonio Scarpacci on Wings and sleuth Adrian Monk on the TV series Monk. He has won three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe for his work in Monk...
- Alexander Minion - Taylor MomsenTaylor MomsenTaylor Michel Momsen is an American actress, musician and model who portrays the character of Jenny Humphrey on the CW television series Gossip Girl and portrayed the role of Cindy Lou Who in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and fronts the rock band The Pretty Reckless.-Early life and career:Taylor...
- Alexandra "President's Daughter" - Christopher McDonaldChristopher McDonaldChristopher McDonald is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Shooter McGavin in Happy Gilmore, Tappy Tibbons in Requiem for a Dream, and Mel Allen in the HBO film 61*.-Personal life:...
- President of the USA
Filming sites
- Arenal Lake, Costa RicaCosta RicaCosta Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
- AustinAustin, TexasAustin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, Texas, USA - Big Bend National ParkBig Bend National ParkBig Bend National Park is a national park located in the U.S. state of Texas. Big Bend has national significance as the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert topography and ecology in the United States, which includes more than 1,200 species of plants, more than 450 species of birds, 56...
, Texas, USA - Manuel AntonioManuel AntónioManuel António Leitão da Silva , commonly known as Manuel António, is a former Portuguese footballer...
, Costa Rica - San Antonio, Texas, USA
- Six Flags Over TexasSix Flags Over TexasSix Flags Over Texas is a major amusement park located in Arlington, Texas , east of Fort Worth and about west of Dallas. It is the oldest park of the Six Flags chain. The park opened on August 5, 1961 following just a year of construction and an initial investment of US$10 million by real estate...
; ArlingtonArlington, TexasArlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas within the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. According to the 2010 census results, the city had a population of 365,438, making it the third largest municipality in the Metroplex...
, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
Special effects
Despite the fact that this film uses over twice the amount of special effects shots than the first film, Robert Rodriguez did not ask the producers for a larger budget; he said "...I told the studio I don't want more money. I just want to be more creative". Rodriguez picked some visual effects companies who were eager and less established, as well as starting up his own Troublemaker StudiosTroublemaker Studios
Troublemaker Studios is a film production company founded and owned by filmmaker Robert Rodriguez and producer Elizabeth Avellan. The company is based in Austin, Texas and is located at the former site of the Robert Mueller Municipal Airport...
, and reemploying Hybride, who had worked with him on the first film. The film employs a certain technique to make the movements of the computer generated creatures resemble the stop-motion work of filmmaker Ray Harryhausen
Ray Harryhausen
Ray Harryhausen is an American film producer and special effects creator...
, who has a cameo in the film. The scene with the army of live skeletons was shot on a real rock formation, with the two young actors on safety wires, and the computer generated skeletons added later to over three dozen shots.
Box office and reviews
- $90,000,000 (United States)
- £5,257,894 (United Kingdom)
- $198,354 (Argentina)
- €783,738 (Italy)
- €1,364,027 (Spain)
Upon its release, the film received mostly positive reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes reports 75% of critics gave the film positive reviews, earning an average rating of 6.6/10. Michael Wilmington of Metromix Chicago, noting how Rodriguez borrows many elements from television and earlier films, stated that, "Rodriguez recycles and refurbishes all these old movie bits with the opportunistic energy of a man looting his old attic toy chest -- but he also puts some personal feeling into the movie. This is a film about families staying together, children asserting themselves and even, to some degree, Latino power".
Home Video release
The film was released on VHSVHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in the United States on February 18, 2003. The film is also available to download on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
. A Blu-ray re-release is scheduled for August 2, 2011 to coincide with the fourth film.
Soundtrack
The film score was co-written by director Robert RodriguezRobert Rodriguez
Robert Anthony Rodríguez is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer, editor and musician. He shoots and produces many of his films in his native Texas and Mexico. He has directed such films as Desperado, From Dusk till Dawn, The Faculty, Spy Kids, Sin City, Planet...
and composer John Debney
John Debney
John C. Debney is an American film composer. He received an Academy Award nomination for his score for Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ...
, who had also co-written the score for Spy Kids. The sound is a mix of rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and indie rock, and includes songs performed by Alan Cumming
Alan Cumming
Alan Cumming, OBE is a Scottish stage, television and film actor, singer, writer, director, producer and author. His roles have included the Emcee in Cabaret, Boris Grishenko in GoldenEye, Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler in X2: X-Men United, Mr. Elton in Emma, and Fegan Floop in the Spy Kids trilogy...
and Alexa Vega
Alexa Vega
Alexa Ellesse Vega is an American actress, singer and pianist. She is best known for playing Carmen Cortez in the Spy Kids film series and Shilo Wallace in the movie Repo! the Genetic Opera. In 2009, she starred as the title character Ruby Gallagher in the ABC Family series Ruby & The...
. Unusually, the orchestral score for the film was recorded in the auditorium of a local high school in Austin, Georgetown High School.
Track listing
All tracks are composed by John DebneyJohn Debney
John C. Debney is an American film composer. He received an Academy Award nomination for his score for Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ...
and Robert Rodriguez
Robert Rodriguez
Robert Anthony Rodríguez is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer, editor and musician. He shoots and produces many of his films in his native Texas and Mexico. He has directed such films as Desperado, From Dusk till Dawn, The Faculty, Spy Kids, Sin City, Planet...
, and performed by the Texas Philharmonic Orchestra.
- "The Juggler"
- "Spy Ballet"
- "Magna Men"
- "Treehouse"
- "R.A.L.P.H."
- "Floop's Dream" (performed by Alan CummingAlan CummingAlan Cumming, OBE is a Scottish stage, television and film actor, singer, writer, director, producer and author. His roles have included the Emcee in Cabaret, Boris Grishenko in GoldenEye, Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler in X2: X-Men United, Mr. Elton in Emma, and Fegan Floop in the Spy Kids trilogy...
) - "Escape from DragonSpy"
- "SpyParents"
- "Island of Lost Dreams"
- "Donnagon's Big Office" / "The Giggles"
- "Mysterious Volcano Island"
- "Romero's Zoo Too"
- "Mothership" / "SpyGrandparents"
- "Magna Racers"
- "Aztec Treasure Room"
- "Skeletons"
- "Creature Battle"
- "Romero's Creatures" / "SpyBeach"
- "SpyDad vs. SpyDad / Romero's Gift"
- "Isle of Dreams" (performed by Alexa VegaAlexa VegaAlexa Ellesse Vega is an American actress, singer and pianist. She is best known for playing Carmen Cortez in the Spy Kids film series and Shilo Wallace in the movie Repo! the Genetic Opera. In 2009, she starred as the title character Ruby Gallagher in the ABC Family series Ruby & The...
)
Additional music not on the soundtrack album includes "Oye Como Spy", which is an adaptation of Tito Puente
Tito Puente
Tito Puente, , born Ernesto Antonio Puente, was a Latin jazz and Salsa musician. The son of native Puerto Ricans Ernest and Ercilia Puente, of Spanish Harlem in New York City, Puente is often credited as "El Rey de los Timbales" and "The King of Latin Music"...
's "Oye Como Va
Oye Como Va
"Oye Como Va" is a song written by Latin jazz and mambo musician Tito Puente in 1963 and popularized by Santana's rendition of the song in 1970 on their album Abraxas, helping to catapult Santana into stardom with the song reaching #13 on the Billboard Top 100. The song also reached #11 on...
", performed by Los Lobos
Los Lobos
Los Lobos are a multiple Grammy Award–winning American Chicano rock band from East Los Angeles, California. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, folk, R&B, blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional Spanish and Mexican music such as cumbia, boleros and norteños.-History:The...
(the song is on the soundtrack album from the first Spy Kids film); and "Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5
Bachianas Brasileiras
The Bachianas Brasileiras constitute a series of nine suites by the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, written for various combinations of instruments and voices between 1930 and 1945...
" for soprano and eight cellos by Heitor Villa-Lobos
Heitor Villa-Lobos
Heitor Villa-Lobos was a Brazilian composer, described as "the single most significant creative figure in 20th-century Brazilian art music". Villa-Lobos has become the best-known and most significant Latin American composer to date. He wrote numerous orchestral, chamber, instrumental and vocal works...
.